Our Dream
by Pied Flycatcher
Summary: A collection of drabbles, snapshots of Cid and Shera's relationship over the years. Complete!
1. Honeymoon

**(A series of drabbles focusing on Cid and Shera's relationship over the years. I thought about uploading one per chapter, but that seemed a bit pointless, so I'm going with the same format I used when I originally posted them on LJ: five drabbles per installment. Each drabble can stand alone, although a few may be loosely connected. The collection is not in chronological order; it ranges across the original game and AC canon, and beyond. I hope you enjoy, and I'll be uploading some more over the next few weeks. Reviews are much appreciated.)**

**(i)**

Their first kiss was not the most pleasant experience. His stubble scratched against her skin and his mouth tasted of smoke. He pressed himself against her, his fingers stroking her hair, his gaze warm. She felt wanted. She pulled away first and watched his eyes crinkle as he grinned. Then she looked down, blushing. Cid slung an arm around her shoulder and carted her off to the bedroom, whistling. He was like an eager young pup, assuming that after that first tongue-abusing kiss, she would be swooning in his arms. Instead, she told him to invest in some mouth wash.

**(ii)**

One evening, Cid whisked her off to Cosmo Canyon. He made her close her eyes throughout the journey. The heat hung around her like a soft blanket. Not a breath of wind stirred. They climbed a set of stairs, Cid's arm guiding her, and she sensed when they ventured indoors and when they emerged again by the change in temperature. Finally, they reached the top. Cid told her to open her eyes, and she gasped when she did. The sun's last rays tinged the land a fiery red. The whole canyon was alight. She had never seen anything so beautiful.

**(iii)**

Of all Cid's companions, Nanaki was undoubtedly the strangest. When the creature prowled up and interrupted their embrace by the Cosmo Candle, she jumped and clung to Cid's arm.

"H-hello," she stammered. The beast inclined its head towards her. Even sitting on its haunches, its body was poised with a predatory grace. She noticed a tattoo, the number thirteen, on its muzzle.

"How did you get that tattoo?" she asked, her fear temporarily forgotten.

The creature stretched, gazing at her with soft, intelligent eyes. And as it spoke, something in her mind shifted. A person, she realised, not a beast.

**(iv)**

He stormed in, banged the door and sat down with his boots on the table. Then he roared for a cup of tea. That was normal. She entered the kitchen and stopped in her tracks. Cid wore a pink ribbon tied around his arm. Her mouth fell open.

Cid drummed his fingers on the table. "What are you staring at, woman?"

"I didn't know pink was your colour," she said.

His eyes flicked to the ribbon. She expected him to shout, but his voice went oddly quiet. "It's a memento of someone."

"Who?"

"Someone who sacrificed herself for the Planet."

**(v)**

The new airship was moored on the field where the Shinra rocket used to be. She'd lost count of the weeks Cid spent there, yelling at the workers and mechanics he employed. He wouldn't let her help. She was reading when the door banged open and Cid's begrimed face appeared.

"It's ready!" he said. "Wanna take a spin?"

They ran hand-in-hand to the airfield. Shera stared at the magnificent airship and read the name painted on the hull.

"You named it after me!"

He grinned, and she kissed him again and again, not caring that his face was caked with dirt.


	2. Fears

**(i)**

A tremor of excitement ran through the whole team when Shinra announced the launch. Everyone, that is, except Shera. She wasn't ready. The last checks had been unsatisfactory. Cid strode around with his chest thrown out, giving handshakes here and pats on the back there, and she couldn't spoil it for him. This was his big day: the realisation of his dream. So she worked away quietly and unnoticed. She didn't matter. She honestly believed that. Every time Cid spoke to her, her heart fluttered. But she had to put these unprofessional feelings aside. She had a job to do.

**(ii)**

"I would have given my life for you."

"You were being damn stupid!"

"I only wanted to help. Isn't a great dream worth giving your life for?"

Cid didn't answer. He put his arm around her and she snuggled into him. They were cosy inside the house, while rain drummed against the windows.

"It's not," he said at last. "There are some causes worth fightin' for, course there are, but not that. My dreams ain't worth you dying. I realised I was jus' being selfish. I wish I hadn't blamed you."

She smiled. "We've made it up to each other."

**(iii)**

The house was strangely silent without him. Despite his brusque manner, she had loved the presence he brought into her life. Now he was gone, she realised how much she missed him. It hurt her that he just left like that, without even saying goodbye. She knew they weren't together, weren't a couple, however much her heart ached for it. He still hadn't forgiven her. She was willing to wait.

But he had gone… She didn't show it, but inside she felt as though an arrow had wounded her, leaving a hole in her heart where Cid Highwind had been.

**(iv)**

It was cold. It was cold and the room was made of stone. Her breath misted in front of her. A clattering above – the sound of an airship. Cid! She looked around wildly for an exit. Cid, darling, I'm here. Come and find me!

But the airship's noise faded away. He had left her trapped and alone. Ice formed along the walls. She hugged her shaking body.

A rasping snore woke her up. She opened her eyes, and there was Cid beside her. He had rolled over and taken all the bedclothes with him, leaving her shivering in the dark.

**(v)**

"I used to lie on the sofa like this and watch Meteor through the window. It got closer every night. Eventually, you couldn't even see the stars. It blocked everything out."

Cid stroked her hair as she leaned on his shoulder. She knew he was listening. That was enough.

"I wondered if you would ever come back. I wanted to see you before it hit." Her voice trembled. "I was so lonely then. Everything was so quiet… we all thought we were doomed."

Cid just held her. The comfort of his warm embrace was enough to banish her negative thoughts.


	3. Compassion

**(i)**

Shera sighed and rubbed her glasses on her sleeve again. It really got steamed up in here.

"You should try contacts," Cid said.

"I don't like the idea of putting something in my eye."

He snorted. "Wimp."

"Have _you_ ever tried contacts?"

"Me? Hell, no. I'm a pilot; my eyesight is perfect."

"Show-off."

Cid put down his spanner. The engine room of the airship vibrated, and his hands were slick with oil. He grabbed her anyway and tickled her mercilessly. She squealed. They rolled over, laughing and yelling insults at each other. She had always known he was good-humoured really.

**(ii)**

He had rough hands, working hands. Her own looked pale and small in comparison. But he could be gentle, when he had a mind to. He always said that he had two lovers in his life: the airship and her. Sometimes she wondered which came first. That morning, he was about to go out and tend to his other love. He smiled and traced his fingers down her cheek. She was amazed at how soft those hands could be. Of course, he ruined it by slapping her on the backside afterwards, but that first touch lingered on in her mind.

**(iii)**

Shera stared at the yard critically. It was full of junk, Cid's junk. He had insisted on salvaging the Tiny Bronco and making it flyable again, even though he had a better airship now. He also had a penchant for collecting scrap metal. She picked her way through the yard, almost knocking over an empty oil barrel. She found Cid, exactly where she had expected, beneath the hull of the Tiny Bronco. Tinkering. That's what he was doing. He'd even got Cloud addicted, promised to help modify his motorbike. Boys and their toys. She had hoped to plant flowers here.

**(iv)**

He often came back home injured. Nothing too major this time: a torn leg. She noticed as soon as he limped in.

She made him sit down and examined the wound. "Was it poisoned?"

"I used an antidote. Stop fussing, woman."

"But you're hurt!"

"Ain't nothing new." He put on his tough man face and lit a cigarette in an attempt at nonchalance. But he was in pain; the faint lines around his mouth had tightened. She found a couple of potions in the cupboard, which swiftly cured him. But she always worried that next time would be the last.

**(v)**

"I want to come." Even to her, the plea sounded pathetically childish.

"You can't, honey."

"Please…" She steeled herself. "You don't know what it's like, waiting here, while you're in danger."

"I'm not in danger," said Cid, a note of irritation creeping into his voice. "You think I can't handle a few kid snatchers? Besides, I've got to round up the rest of the gang. I'm the pilot."

He strode out of the house. His half-finished mug of tea stood abandoned on the kitchen table. With a sigh, she poured the contents down the sink and started to wash up.


	4. Devotion

**(i)**

"Well, kid, looks like it's just me an' you."

"Just the two of us, huh?" She felt strangely nervous. Of course they'd been alone together before, but now they were _alone together_. In an altogether different sense. Somehow friends and chores and conflicting schedules had conspired to keep them apart. It was partly her fault. She kept putting things off, afraid that his feelings weren't real or she'd make a fool of herself or it wouldn't be perfect. Which was silly. He made her feel like an awkward teenager again.

Then he kissed her and all her doubts vanished instantly.

**(ii)**

Oil. Black, slick and slippery, it tarred his hands. It was the blood of the airship and Cid was its surgeon.

She had ventured into the engine room to bring him a cup of tea – he always spent too long in there, she was sure he would starve without her – but she found herself keeping still, watching his deft movements in silent fascination.

One final twist and the leak was plugged, like a surgeon performing the last stitches. Then he turned and grinned at her.

"Just like the oxygen tank, huh? This baby ain't blowing up while I'm in charge."

**(iii)**

It wasn't right. The checks had been unsatisfactory. She knew she was staying longer than she should – but the check must be completed, she had to know that it would work. They only had one chance. One shot at outer space. Cid's dream.

It was getting hot. She wiped the sweat from her brow and carried on. Cid's dream. My dream.

A red light flashed. The countdown was beginning. The temperature increased. Her hands were sticky. But she hadn't finished.

Cid's dream. My dream. Our dream.

He yelled at her, but she stayed. It's all right, Cid, darling. Never mind.

**(iv)**

"You won't ever leave, will you?"

His head twisted on the pillow. She could just make out his eyes staring at her strangely in the dark. "Why the hell would you think that?"

She sighed and shifted closer, the sheets rustling. "Before, you…" He'd left.

"That was different. That was before us."

Suddenly she felt her stomach lighten. He meant it. He really meant it. She snuggled against him, enjoying the feel of the warm sheets on her bare legs and his solid presence against her body. His arms enclosed her. He was there. Her bed wasn't empty any more.

**(v)**

The world was about to end. Silent tears ran down her face as she gazed into the sky with the rest of the townspeople. Meteor loomed.

They held hands. A circle of humanity, waiting for its fate to be sealed.

He's out there. He's fighting it! He won't let it happen. They were all out there, in the airship, fighting for the life of the Planet.

It was too late. She looked around her, saw only despairing faces, people clinging to their loved ones, children crying. Too late to hope.

I wish I could have told him… how I felt…


	5. Thick and Thin

**(i)**

He stared out through the window of the escape pod. They were right there, the stars. He felt as though he could reach out and touch them. Cloud's inane questions had been irritating him. Cid gritted his teeth.

He turned and faced Shera, sitting so demurely with her hands on her lap. Her presence had surprised him at first – he'd never have guessed she'd have the courage to pull off such a stunt. She smiled shyly at him.

He smiled back. Here was someone who appreciated the magnificence of outer space. He was glad to share this experience with her.

**(ii)**

She wasn't a pain in the ass, like Yuffie, or difficult, like Tifa. Actually, screw that. All women were difficult.

So how the hell did he find himself marrying her?

He had to give it to her, she was persistent. Ain't many women could put up with him for so long. That gave him a little respect for her. Just a little.

And shit, when the whole Planet had been about to blow apart and he thought they were all screwed – well, when it was all over, it made him view life with a little more perspective. Just a little.

**(iii)**

"Congratulations," said Cloud.

Cid grinned. "Thanks." Shera hung on to his arm, beaming.

"Do you remember when we escaped on the Tiny Bronco?"

He nodded. How could he forget?

Cloud smiled reminiscently. "I thought Shera was your wife. And you said, 'Wife? Don't make me laugh! Just thinkin' 'bout marryin' her gives me the chills.' Funny how things change…"

Shera shook her head, her eyes brimming. She tore away from Cid and hurried off, shoulders shaking.

Cloud gaped after her. "Er…"

"You fuckin' moron!" said Cid. "Why'd you have to choose now to have a fuckin' photographic memory?"

"I-I'm sorry…"

**(iv)**

Cid scratched his head. Why was it always so hard to apologise?

"I'm sorry," he got out at last. "For, you know, treatin' you so badly."

She sat primly at the table, lips pursed. She didn't move.

"Fuckin' hell, you want me to beg?"

Still no response. Her hands tightened around her cup of tea.

"Women," he muttered. "I'm sorry, all right? I said a lot of stuff in the past that I didn't mean. I was just… pissed off. And – say somethin', dammit!"

She looked up. He could see the dried tear tracks on her cheeks. "Okay," she said.

**(v)**

And then Geostigma came along, the Planet's reminder that it was pissed off with humanity. He was glad that he and Shera didn't live in that shithole of a town. Edge. What a fucking stupid name for a town.

He flew over it in his airship, went there to visit Cloud and Tifa. He didn't let Shera come. Didn't want her catching Geostigma. Who knew how contagious it was? Maybe all you had to do was live long enough in the polluted city, and it would get you.

And he wouldn't let that happen. Not to Shera. No fucking chance.


	6. Worth It

**(i)**

"I'll – I'll stay with you."

"What?"

"Please. I want to help you." She stared at her interlocking fingers. "I'm in your debt, Captain. You saved my life."

"And you fuckin' ruined mine!"

"I-I'm sorry." Her voice quavered. "Can I stay, until the next launch? I promise I won't mess it up again."

"You'd better not." She looked close to tears. Even though he wanted to, he couldn't stay angry at her like that. "All right."

Funny the way things turn out. Shinra abandoned him. Shera did not. And though he'd never admit it, he liked that she stuck with him.

**(ii)**

She sure knew how to make him regret things.

"We should've done this a long time ago," he muttered, breathing into her ear. Before, he never looked beyond her white coat and glasses. But now he saw _her_: hair spilling in loose waves, cheeks flushed, eyes twinkling, beautiful… and desirable.

She smiled sleepily. "I've imagined this happening for a long time."

"I bet I'm way better than you thought."

"Oh, naturally," she said.

Goddammit, he thought, to think what I could have had all these years…

"Wanna make up for lost time?" he asked.

"Please."

Now, this he didn't regret.

**(iii)**

She knew exactly where and how to touch him, her light fingers dancing over his body, like brushstrokes, fine and soft, until his skin tingled and he wanted to yell at her for teasing him, in that delicate, coy way of hers. He was rough and she was gentle and sometimes they tried it his way, other times her way; and although it was maddening, he had to admit, slow was good. Slow and soft drew it out, made each kiss more tender, each touch more exquisite. Fuck yes, here was a woman who knew how to satisfy her man.

**(iv)**

Turbulence. The airship lurched. Cid gritted his teeth. He kept the Highwind on course, towards Midgar, where that huge red rock was about to hit.

The light of Holy shone, but it was too late. Humanity had reached its final judgement. He thought of Shera.

_You don't know it, but I fought for you._

Then: "What's that?" said Tifa.

A fountain of green light gushed up from the earth.

Cloud knew. "Lifestream."

The tendrils of Lifestream coiled. From all over the Planet, it converged on Meteor. Brightness overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes. Life, or death. The Planet would decide.

**(v)**

"You came back to Rocket Town?"

"Yeah." He chewed a piece of tobacco thoughtfully. "Cloud told us to go, someplace important to us, find out why we were fighting. Stupid, really – you'd think saving the Planet was enough. But after I dropped everyone off, I realised. It's not so stupid. You've gotta have something personal to fight for. So I went, and looked at the place where that rusty old rocket was. It was empty. And I thought, damn, just what the hell am I fighting for?"

She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"…And then I saw you."


	7. Holiday

**(i)**

Women. His airship could take her anywhere in the world, and what was the first place she thought of? Costa del Sol. Telling her about the villa was a mistake.

"At least Cloud isn't making us pay full rent."

He dragged their suitcase into the bedroom and huffed, "Fuckin' tightass should've let us stay for nothin'! I ain't giving him a free ride again."

Shera looked around. "It must have cost him a fortune."

"Exactly!" Cid said. "He's got gil to burn."

"And, goodness knows, you couldn't possibly spend so much for your wife, could you?"

Women. Always twisting things.

**(ii)**

Lying on the beach, with the towel sticking to his back and grains of sand stuck between his toes, Cid felt as though he was slowly being roasted. Next to him, Shera looked relaxed, her tanned form stretched out to catch the sun's rays.

"It's too damn hot here," he grumbled. "We should have gone to Icicle Town."

She sat up and pushed her sunglasses down her nose to look at him. "I know what you would have said if we went there."

"What?"

"'It's too damn cold here. We should have gone to Costa del Sol.'"

"Smartass," he muttered.

**(iii)**

Cid squinted against the sun and took another drag of his cigarette. His smoking annoyed the other holidaymakers. Fuck them.

Costa del Sol had everything. Sun, sea, sand. Except, he reflected, if they'd camped half a mile down from the resort, they could've had all that for free.

"There's always the bar," said Shera.

He grunted. Yes, there was somewhere to get pissed. But the drinks were better at Seventh Heaven and the bar was full of weirdoes in Speedos.

Shera smiled at his grumpy expression.

"Here, let me rub on your suntan lotion for you."

…Ah. That felt better.

**(iv)**

They walked down to the beach. He shielded his eyes from the sun and accidentally kicked over a sandcastle. Its maker started blubbering.

"Piss off and play somewhere else," he said.

The kid's noisy crying increased.

Shera bent down to comfort the kid. "I'm sorry. It's all right; we'll help you build another."

"No, we won't," said Cid. He'd been looking forward to seeing her splash about in her bikini again. That was the highlight of his day.

"Can't you at least make an effort?" she asked.

"Why?"

Shera's hand touched her belly, brushing the fabric of her sarong. "Well…"

**(v)**

Cid didn't know what to think, really. It was an accident. It was fate, pissing about with him, and Lady Luck, laughing at him.

"I'm gonna have to quit smoking, aren't I?" he said.

Shera looked pleased that he'd thought of this himself. "It would help," she said, "although you don't have to, you could just smoke outside…"

"And I'll have to cut down on the cussing too. Fuck."

"How about ten gil for every swearword? We could save the money for the baby's room."

"Fuck me, are you serious?"

Shera held out her hand, smiling slightly. "Twenty gil, please."


	8. Spotless

**(i)**

The rocket was almost finished. Shinra techs rushed around, scribbling notes on the system checks.

But someone was idle – a woman leaned against a ladder, reading. That damn Shera. He stormed up to her.

"Hey, Shera! In case you ain't noticed, it's the launch approval today, so get your head outta that goddamn novel and move your ass!"

She lowered the book and gazed at him, wide-eyed, intimidated. But he noticed the book's cover. _Advanced Engineering_.

"Aren't I allowed to check up on the facts, Captain?" she asked tremulously.

_Damn her._

His cheeks burned. "Eh… oh, yeah – but hurry up!"

**(ii)**

They stood by the fence overlooking the field – the field that had once been the rocket launch pad. That bent old rocket had symbolised his shattered dreams.

"I sometimes miss the sight," Shera said wistfully. "It reminds me of the old days."

"You miss that? I was just a pissed-off ex-pilot back then."

"I know, I know. I like us working together now."

"Damn straight." He'd never realised how many good ideas Shera had in her head. Her new engine designs had twice the efficiency.

Shera smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "But you'll always be my Captain."

**(iii)  
**  
Cid Highwind had always prized himself as a man who didn't take any bullshit. When he said as much to Shera, she laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, darling. Remember our Shinra years?"

Cid blinked. Then he realised that he had in fact taken a lot of bullshit. And when he said as much, Shera replied:

"I'm glad we cleaned it up then. I wouldn't want anybody to step in it."

And he remembered why he had wanted to start afresh with this woman. Because nobody liked leftover shit muddying up the house. Especially not Shera. Her coat was spotless.

**(iv)  
**  
"You're doing well."

He grunted. She came over and ruffled his hair.

"No, I mean it. You're really doing well."

He spat out the piece of tobacco he had been chewing. "How long I gotta do this for again?"

"Only seven more months."

He grimaced. "Ain't been easy."

"You could always smoke outside."

"No. I made a promise and I'm keepin' it." He looked at Shera askance. She had tricked him into this, he thought, although he couldn't quite recall after two months of nicotine withdrawal. But he had his pride and he wouldn't let those son-of-a-bitch cigarettes beat him.

**(v)**

He was surprised. He knew that babies were small, but still he was unprepared for the moment its tiny hand curled around his little finger. He had thought of the Tiny Bronco as his baby: sleek and beautiful and huge in comparison to this screwed-up, red-faced little thing. He had constructed the Tiny Bronco. It was a labour of love.

Now love rushed through him stronger than anything he had felt for some mechanical toy. This was his wife and his child.

Shera's labour had exhausted her. Strands of hair stuck to her face. But she smiled.

"It's a boy."


	9. Lessons Learned

**(i)**

It was his fault. He staked his future in the hands of the Shinra. He should have worked independently. They both had the talent. But when the Space Program fell, he fell with it, and took Shera with him.

They lived in a rundown town, where nothing happened, where time itself seemed to have stopped, marked only by the gradual tilting of the rocket. Degree by degree, it measured out the town's decay. His dreams burnt out, just like the rocket.

If not for her, he would have turned to drink. She was the reason he got up each day.

**(ii)**

When he heard that Rufus Shinra was coming, he felt alive again. But the son-of-a-bitch had no intention of reviving the Space Program. He was off on some fool chase instead.

Cid strode around the small kitchen, fuming. "Never shoulda trusted Rufus Shinra. Never shoulda got my hopes up."

Shera sipped her tea. "What about Cloud and his friends?"

"What about them? Bargin' in to steal the Tiny Bronco. They can fuck off!"

"I don't think they're with Shinra."

"So?"

"Don't you want to find out what's happening?" asked Shera gently.

That conversation started a journey that changed Cid's life.

**(iii)**

"Things are peaceful now… but the world will never be like it was before, will it?"

"We can rebuild. I'll make a better airship." And I'll treat you better, he vowed silently.

She nodded. "We all need to rebuild our lives. Did you know that some people threw away their entire life's fortune at the Gold Saucer? They decided that since the end was near, there was no point in saving up or planning for the future. So that's what they did."

"You coulda done the same. Why didn't you?"

"I was waiting for you to save the world first."

**(iv)**

He looked at the finished airship in satisfaction. There was no Shinra logo. He had made it and named it after Shera. It belonged to them alone.

Because he knew now, that's how things should be. A man made his own future. He had relied on those money-grubbing Shinra bastards, and they used him. They took everything he had for themselves and left him to rot in the gutter. But Cid wasn't like that. He wasn't a man to stay in the gutter. He wanted to fly.

And he went to find Shera, so that she could fly with him.

**(v)**

From the deck of the airship they had built together, they gazed out at the stars.

"We've come a long way, haven't we?"

"Yeah," Cid agreed – thinking of Shinra, of Meteor, of Geostigma – of all those damn things with capital letters that had done nothing but screw him over. Even now, in the velvety silence, his anger still burned.

Shera seemed to sense his discomfort. She squeezed his hand, smoothing out the tense muscles, and then leaned against his chest.

"But we're all right now. We've achieved the sky."

Those simple words gave him a soaring feeling he couldn't describe.


	10. Domestication

**(i)**

Cid yelled at her to come outside one day and she emerged from the back of the house into the yard to find a handsome, brightly-coloured bird tethered to a rickety fence post.

"Oh! A golden chocobo. I've never seen one before."

The chocobo's plumage gleamed in the sunlight and it gave her a friendly squawk when she patted it on the head.

"He's beautiful."

He grinned. "Yeah." She had told him before that she liked chocobos; she used to have a friend called Chole who worked with them. "Guess what Cloud called it?"

"What?"

"Goldie. He's so goddamn original."

**(ii)**

He paced around, waiting for her to bring him a drink like she always did. His face was sweaty, and it wasn't just from the work. He had always thought that the phrase 'butterflies in the stomach' was stupid; something that only pansies would use. And yet, he had this fluttering feeling…

"Cid?" She came up to him, smiling. "Here's your tea. I've made it just how you like it-"

"Thanks," he said roughly. He took the drink and wet his lips, steeling himself. Shera looked as though she was about to go back. "No – wait!"

"What?"

"I love you."

**(iii)**

Babies looked cute. But they were actually miniature demons sent from the deepest pit of hell to test weary parents. Eight months after his son's birth, Cid was certain of this. Cid Junior wailed, bawled, puked, and couldn't control his own bowel movements. Mostly in the godforsaken hours of the morning.

"I never want to change a nappy again," Cid growled, as he climbed back into bed and rubbed his sore eyes.

Shera shifted, murmuring, "I'm afraid you'll have to, darling. I'm pregnant again."

That night marked the first time he paid money into the swear box for six weeks.

**(iv)**

"D'you remember when we were discussing baby names the last time?" Cid asked.

"Oh, yes," said Shera, "we could pick one of those – can you remember any?"

He cracked a smile. "I remember the first name I thought of."

"What was it?"

"The Valiant." He shook his head. "And then I realised that was a name for an airship, not a kid!"

She laughed. "You can name your airship after a person, but you're not naming a person after an airship."

Still, he was tempted. After all, his kids weren't just any kids. They were Highwinds. And that meant something.

**(v)**

The fire in the hearth crackled. It was dark, Shera was sleeping against his shoulder, and Cid gazed into the bright flames.

Fire always made him reflective. He had dreamed of seeing the stars burning in the sky. He had never dreamed that he might be happy with a fire burning in a little house, with a wife and family. But Shera felt warm and solid snuggled against him, and she sighed softly as he stroked her hair.

In the past, his eyes had burned with excitement and passion; later, with resentment and bitterness. Not tonight. Tonight, he felt content.


	11. Family

**(i)**

Cid Junior was a chubby, bright-eyed child. Cid encouraged him to be interested in mechanics and aeroplanes right from the start. He had a quick mind, like his father, she thought, so quick that even Cid's low patience threshold was hardly taxed. In six weeks, they built a remote control aeroplane together and took it out for its first grand takeoff on the air field. Shera leaned against the fence and watched. The aeroplane soared into the air, swooping up and down like a magnificent bird. But it was the soaring expressions on her family's faces that Shera liked best.

**(ii)**

Tifa extended her hand towards the cot and cooed as a tiny pink fist curled around her thumb.

"She's adorable."

At Tifa's words, Shera brushed her untidy hair out of her eyes and looked down at her daughter. She was exhausted, but proud.

"I wouldn't have coped without Cid. He's been wonderful."

"It must be lovely to have a real family," said Tifa wistfully.

She looked at Tifa's hand, ring on one finger, and a baby hand still holding the other: a pinky promise. The thought made her smile.

"You will soon," she said, "and it'll be wonderful. I promise."

**(iii)**

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Cid the equally proud and exhausted father was sitting at the table. Opposite him, Cloud leaned forward and whispered, "Is it hard, bringing up a baby?"

"Oh, yeah. I couldn't do it alone. Shera's been wonderful."

He nodded. "I know Tifa will be."

"Then why the fuck do you look so worried?"

"I'm not sure how to be a father…I don't want to let her down."

"Cloud, you saved the fucking world. Kids ain't that difficult in comparison."

Cloud furrowed his brow. "But you just said-"

"Word of advice, kid. Don't try to figure it out."

**(iv)**

Never ask Yuffie to babysit. Cid learned this lesson early on. Before Yuffie visited, they sure as hell weren't _that_ good with locks. He scowled.

"So they broke into your shed," said Yuffie. "It's your problem."

"It wouldn't be my fucking problem if you hadn't fucking taught them in the first place!" Twenty more gil for the swear box. It was worth it to yell at Yuffie, even on the phone.

"Cid…" said Shera. "Can I talk to her?"

He was too busy muttering angrily to hear their conversation, but somehow after that Yuffie apologised. Sometimes, his wife amazed him.

**(v)**

That swear box was pretty damn full. Even worse, Shera gave its contents to the kids, which was only rewarding them at his expense. When he told her this, she explained that it helped them learn that politeness was rewarded and rudeness punished.

"That don't make any sense!" he said. "Ever heard of logic, woman?"

Shera looked at him primly. "I only give them the gil if they're good and don't use bad language."

"You never do that for me."

Her next expression could only be described as pitying. "You're too ingrained in your ways. There wouldn't be any point."


	12. Time For Living

**(i)**

"We're supposed to write about our heroes," said her son. "But I know so many heroes, I don't know who to pick!"

She laughed. "Lucky you."

"Mum, who's your hero?"

"Your father, of course."

He scoffed.

"Really. Being a hero isn't only about saving the world. It could be someone you admire…" In her Shinra days, she had admired him for so long. "…Or someone who saved you…" He had saved her life so many times. "…Or someone you love, someone who's always there for you." He was. Since Cid had settled into fatherhood, he was steady as a rock.

**(ii)**

"Aerith once told me she used to be afraid of the sky."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she lived in Midgar, where the Plate blocked it out. Some poor bastards lived their entire lives without seeing it, can you imagine that?"

He couldn't imagine it – couldn't imagine living without the freedom of that vast expanse above him. It was his escape.

"Some people don't mind being confined. They spend their whole lives in one place."

"Not us," said Cid. "I'll take you all over the world – I'll show you every bit of the sky you want!"

_In honour of her memory_, he thought.

**(iii) **

They went skiing in Icicle Town once. Although the cold had lessened over time, snow still lay thickly on the roofs of the town and the roads were slippery with ice. He kissed a breathless Shera at the bottom of the slope and pointed towards the north.

"Keep going that way and you get to the Northern Crater."

"Full of materia crystals and ice. It must be beautiful."

"S'pose. But it's like that 'cause the whole place is a giant wound."

Her breath came out in little clouds. "It's cold here. But the Planet is warm-blooded, you know. It'll recover."

**(iv)**

In every place he travelled to, the sky was a different blue. He flew Shera to the Forgotten City, to see the sky of the Ancients. She looked down on the pale ruins, her face sombre.

"She got to travel the world, see all those skies," said Cid. "But she never got to travel in the Highwind."

Aerith had sacrificed that privilege so that others could experience it. Whenever he took Shera on the airship and saw her face light up, he knew that Aerith would have smiled too, because she had saved the world for everyone else to enjoy.

**(v) **

Lives lost, lives saved. Shera almost lost when she gave birth to her second child. The linen ran red and the lines on Cid's face were stark white as he wondered how she could have any blood left in her.

The nurse said that Shera would be fine, she just needed rest. She took the blood-soaked linen away to be washed.

Cid wondered how many lives had come and gone in this hospital. But he forgot all that when he saw his baby daughter, because it was worth it, it was all worth it, to bring life into the world.


	13. Vows

**(i)**

Rose pointed to a picture of a couple in her storybook. "Did you and Daddy look like that when you got married?"

Shera laughed. "Not quite. Dad insisted on wearing his aviation gear and I wore pink."

Rose's eyes widened. "Pink? But brides are supposed to wear white!"

"Not me," said Shera. "White reminded me too much of my lab coats, so I wanted to wear something different."

"Oh." Rose frowned, but then she flicked through the book to a picture of a princess in pink. "Did you look like that?"

"Yes," said Shera, smiling. "I looked just like that."

**(ii)**

She was flattered when Reeve asked her to dance. It was the first time they had met, and she found him to be courteous, charming and witty. Quite the opposite of Cid, in fact. He was a better dancer too.

They circled around the dance floor. Reeve complimented her on her wedding dress; she blushed and thanked him. The music was slow, soft, romantic.

Then Cid barged over, shouting, "Oi! That's _my_ wife; get your hands off her!"

Shera smiled demurely. When Cid pulled her away, she was strangely pleased. It was nice to know how much she affected him.

**(iii) **

During her teenage years, Shera was used to being the wallflower. She was too shy, too self-conscious to really throw herself into a party. But tonight, she felt light, sparkling, bubbly like champagne. She even drank a little.

Everyone flocked around her, offering congratulations and anecdotes. It was dizzying, to be the centre of attention. Cid took it all in his stride.

"A toast, to the bride and groom!" Barret roared, raising his glass.

They all drank, and then Cid kissed her in front of them all, and everyone cheered. This was her party and she felt radiant with love.

**(iv)**

The wedding wasn't perfect. One moment a smile, the next a hurtful comment, and she turned her back on Cid and fled in tears. She sat on the steps outside the church and sobbed into a tissue. That was how Cid found her.

He sat down with her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Come on," he said. "I love you, so never mind what I said in the past. You're my goddamn wife and I'm goddamn gonna cheer you up so I can have sex with you tonight whether you like it or not!"

Despite herself, she laughed.

**(v) **

Getting married in a church was rather quaint. But Shera loved the tradition, the feeling that she was taking part in a ritual practiced by her parents, and her parents' parents, and so on through the generations. When she stepped up to the altar and spoke her vows, she could feel the history around her.

Cid surprised her by harking back to an even older tradition – that of carrying the bride over the threshold to a chocobo-drawn carriage. Shera laughed delightedly as the crowd strewed them with flower petals, and laughed more when she discovered that Cloud was the driver.


	14. To have and to hold

**(i)**

They grew up fast; that was a fact. The evidence lay before him, as Shera pulled a jacket off their son.

"I like that," he said. "Why can't I keep it?"

"You're not going on holiday with your sleeves up to your elbows," said Shera firmly.

Cid Junior sniffed. Then he looked at his father. "Can I have a jacket like yours? One that pilots wear?"

Shera laughed. "And goggles too?"

"Yeah!"

"You're not quite big enough for that."

Not yet, Cid thought. He was faintly surprised at the fondness he felt. He had really grown to enjoy family life.

**(ii)**

Cid never thought he'd see the day that Yuffie was crowned Empress of Wutai, but here they were. And there was Yuffie, her face painted white, roses raining down upon her floating parade.

"She looks all grown up," said Shera.

He smiled, feeling a strange sense of fatherly pride.

As the float meandered past, Yuffie glanced over and spotted them in the crowd. At once, her expression became a scowl. She made a rude hand gesture at him. "Cid, you cheap old man! Where's that hundred gil you owe me for babysitting?"

He shook his head. "Nope, still a brat."

**(iii)**

"Heard rumours about you," Yuffie said. "People whispering stuff."

"They got a problem, they should come out and say it."

She looked at him slyly. "I've heard Shera's got you under her boot."

He blustered and hand-waved, but Yuffie only laughed. "Shera's an engineer. I'm the White Rose of Wutai. How would you cope with me?"

"White Rose of Wutai, my ass! I feel sorry for the fool who marries you."

"More fool you. I've had nine suitors already."

"And one of 'em's a certain blond Shinra scumbag, huh?"

Yuffie snorted. "He'll get a big fat rejection."

"Good to hear."

**(iv)**

"Look! Fireworks!"

The family huddled together and looked up in awe as the night sky exploded with bright colours. Cid picked Rose up so that she could admire the spectacle.

He grinned. "Ain't that somethin'?"

They oohed and aahed.

"How do they work?" Cid Junior asked. "Are they like miniature rockets?"

Cid explained. He liked to encourage his son's curiosity, and the boy quickly became excited.

"Can we bring some home and set them off? Please?"

Shera smiled. "You're just like your father."

He was, Cid thought proudly. He was a bright boy and Cid was glad to have him.

**(v)**

"I'm glad you're doing well," Cloud said.

"Does this look well to you, kid?" Cid asked jokingly. He tugged at the grey hairs around his temples.

"That's just age. It happens to everyone."

"You won't be so blasé about it when it happens to you."

Shera ambled over and ruffled Cid's hair. "He may be older, but you're still just as fit, aren't you, darling?"

Cloud smirked. "Really?"

"I'll show you, whippersnapper."

He stood up, grabbed Shera and lifted her up in one easy fluid movement. She laughed, her eyes full of joyful surprise. She made him feel young again.


	15. From this day forward

**(i)**

Rose discovered the spear when she was thirteen; it fell from its place, dusty but still sharp. Hearing the noise, Cid stumped upstairs to discover who'd trashed his bedroom. When he saw her, holding a weapon taller than herself, the cigarette fell out of his mouth.

"Rose! The hell?"

She grinned. "I remember this! You used to haul it out all the time when I was little."

"Used to? What's that? Think your dad's too old now, eh?"

He snatched it from her, and hefted it upright with effort. Rose giggled. "Mum said she'd buy you a walking stick instead."

**(ii)**

"What was it like, before?"

"Oh, it was crazy. I was crazy. Shera was crazy. The whole world was crazy. Sephiroth went mad and we were fool enough to go after him. Cloud most of all – that guy was a whole other level of crazy by himself. I guess, in the end, ain't no-one else could do it. We were all crazy, and we became heroes for that. You don't become a hero being sensible. There ain't nothin' sensible about fallin' in love either. Me an' Shera were up and down more than that damn rocket. More fun that way."

**(iii)**

A whole town had been built around the Space Program, and the Captain gathered them together to give a speech on their newest project: ShinRa 26. That was the first time Shera saw him speak.

All eyes followed him as he strode around, chest puffed out, and she couldn't imagine how anyone couldn't fall in love with him.

"From this day," he roared, "from this day begins a new age! We're gonna build the finest damn rocket that's ever been built, the first rocket to blast humanity into space – and it's all 'cause of you that history's gonna be made."

**(iv)**

They made history later than they had expected. But that busted-up old rocket played its part, at the end of the world. It smashed into Meteor like an aeroplane crashing into the sea, leaving barely a ripple. As they orbited the Planet, Meteor still loomed over them, and Cid thought how small and insignificant and weak the Planet looked.

He glanced at Shera then, because he'd always thought of her in the same way. Then it occurred to him that without her, they would never have made it into space. History might forget, but from now on, Cid never would.

**(v)**

They called it the city of dreams. But Midgar was a short-lived city, and its demise was like waking up.

"Welcome to Midgar," said Cid, as he piloted the airship over the ruins. "No electricity, no fuel. Back to Mother fucking Nature."

Shera looked down, her eyes pitying. "There's movement. Are those children down there?"

"Scavengers."

"We should help them."

He nodded. "Knew you'd say that. We could pick some of 'em up, mebbe, get 'em away. But that ain't gonna work in the long term. Long term, we gotta find new energy."

"Yes," said Shera. "That's our task now."


	16. For better, for worse

**(i)**

The best moment of her life came during a trip to the north. They flew past the Northern Crater, and moored in a land of virgin snow. The cold seared her skin, but the night was perfect: the stars burned, the snow glowed, and the radiance of the aurora shimmered in the sky. The beauty, the holiness of it overwhelmed her.

Cid hugged her tightly, and she felt the warm pulse of his heartbeat, in time with hers. He told her that he loved her, and she had never felt so connected, so whole, so at one with the world.  
**  
(ii)**

Shera went through a low point after Rose's birth where she snapped at everything. Normally softly spoken, she'd suddenly yell at him when he trailed dirty footprints into the kitchen or neglected to do the washing up.

"Goddammit, woman, it's like you're permanently PMSing."

"Maybe I should do that more often," said Shera. "Then we might actually get something done around here."

Such barbed comments stung. She got annoyed at him for 'playing around with his toys', with the result being that he spent more time doing exactly that in order to get away from her. Life was a bitch.

**(iii)**

She couldn't remember how the argument started. Something small, like an empty cup left on the coffee table, or a loose handle which had remained unfixed. Things escalated; she accused him of laziness, and they brought up old hurts: taking responsibility for the kids, the house, the bills. He shouted, "Shut up, you fucking bitch! Shoulda left you on that rocket," and for a moment, he raised his hand, and she thought he was going to hit her. He didn't; he stormed out, and Shera slid down against the kitchen counter, teary-eyed. She felt no rage, only an aching emptiness.

**(iv)**

Barret became sentimental when he was drunk. He knocked back another shot and turned to Cid with his eyes streaming.

"She reminds me of Myrna, your Shera," said Barret. "Makes me think – if she'd lived… We mighta had a good home, family, a dog mebbe…"

"A dog? The kids alone are enough to drive me crazy. Shit, I came here to get away from that."

But Barret slammed his fist onto the counter and growled, "Don't you gimme that shit. You'll go back to your wife 'n' kids and you'll be fucking grateful for 'em!"

And Cid looked down, ashamed.

**(v)**

Shera couldn't help but feel that there was something missing, like the spark had gone out of their relationship. They had become too familiar, so they took each other for granted. With work and family occupying all their time, they almost never had the chance to be alone together. And when they were, at least one of them would be too tired to do anything about it.

Shera thought all this as she lay in bed with Cid snoring beside her. Something had to be done.

The answer came to her in a dream.

"Let's go to the Gold Saucer!"


	17. For richer, for poorer

**(i)**

The Gold Saucer was world famous and, as Cid reminded everyone, a fucking rip-off. But they got their tickets, the children's faces shining, and Shera was just as excited. As they debated where to go first, Cid scowled.

"It's the same music every goddamn time. Drives me crazy."

"I like it," said Shera. "It's lively."

"It's fucking annoying."

She smiled. "You grumpy old man. Come on, enjoy yourself."

They went on the gondola, and as the music faded and the stars appeared, Cid took Shera's hand and for a moment, he felt as though they were back on their honeymoon.

**(ii)**

"Goddammit," Cid growled, as he lost on the chocobo races for the fifth time. "Just one more bet..."

Rose tugged at his sleeve. "Dad, I'm bored. Can we go on the rollercoaster now?"

Shera's eyes strayed to their fellow gamblers. "Maybe we should."

Cid's hand tightened over hers, but in that second he realised that she was in no danger. He was. Everyone had their vices and he saw them now, the ones who couldn't stop coming back for more. Cid had no desire to acquire another addiction.

"Those overgrown chickens aren't worth it," he muttered, and led them away.

**(iii)**

When the knock came, Shera glanced at Cid but he didn't look up from his magazine. She answered the door instead.

A young man held out a package. "Strife Delivery–"

"Cloud! How nice to see you."

"Who is it?" Cid growled behind her. "If it's some door-to-door salesman, I'll kick his ass right now." He stumped over, and grinned. "Good to see you, kid. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing," said Cloud. "It's... sort of a present."

"Pretty shoddily wrapped present..."

"Cid," Shera rebuked him.

Cid ripped open the package to reveal... a hot water bottle.

"...The fuck?"

**(iv)**

There were certain things in life that Cid couldn't fix, so he had to pay someone else to do it instead. One of them was the electric stove, a new and complicated appliance. He and Shera returned to the store they had bought it from to find out how much it would cost to repair. When he found out, he lost his temper.

The repairwoman told him calmly that he wasn't allowed to fucking smoke in this fucking shop and he could swear if he fucking wanted but she was fucking equal to it.

Shera handled the transaction after that.

**(v)**

"There's no market for materia any more. No one's buying."

"Why not?"

Cid shrugged. "Scared, I s'pose. Afraid they might get retribution from the Planet."

"But you've been using it for years."

"Yeah, but we always meant to give it back to the Planet. That's what you've gotta remember. This land we live on ain't our land. It's the Planet's. Humans just run around on it for a while, and then they think they can stick their fences in the dirt and call it theirs. Whatever you take from the Planet, you have to give back. Even your own life."


	18. In sickness or in health

**(i)**

Sometimes he thought their relationship was unhealthy. Ever since she came into his house, it had been unequal – all because she thought she was in his debt. He shouldn't have abused that power, shouldn't have walked all over her the way he had. She always showed him up. His bluster, shouting and rage… somehow, she contained it and her gentle nature shone through – ripped his defences apart like scissors through paper.

She was stronger than him.

But even though he always got the last word, he never won. And he wondered if she had planned it that way all along.

**(ii)**

She didn't remember much of her illness. Only that there was black ooze on her hands and neck. Sometimes she blacked out; sometimes she lay in a feverish sleep. On lucid days, when she felt cold and clammy, Cid gently wiped her brow with a flannel before pacing up and down in a fury.

"Fucking Midgar," he growled, "it's fucking poison."

"I'm all right," she remembered saying. "I don't mind dying."

"Well, I do," he shot back at her. "I ain't gonna let you die, Shera, I promise. I didn't stop that launch to let some scummy disease get you."

**(iii)**

It was night when Cid returned from the troubles in Edge. Shera had fallen asleep in her armchair, her glasses crooked, a newspaper slipping out of her lap.

"Shera! Get up!"

She blinked sleepily as he lifted her up, dressing gown wrapped around her, and carried her out of the house.

"Cid, where…?"

"I'm gonna cure you," he promised. "Right now."

Black stains bled down her face as the Geostigma attacked again. She cried out, but Cid held her tighter – across the lane and into the dark of the airship. For the first time, the journey made her feel sick.

**(iv)**

Cid carried her straight into the pool. She gasped at the cold shock as she was plunged in. But immediately, she felt a new sensation; something warm blossomed along her skin, and she lifted up a dripping hand to see it glowing with green light.

She couldn't speak. She knew that, somehow, the water had cleansed the stigma, and with a sudden energy, she immersed herself completely. Light sparkled before her eyes as she came up again, sopping wet and smiling.

"Look… it worked!"

Cid kissed her, and her lips tingled, and it was the sweetest feeling in the world.

**(v)**

The rain drummed its heartbeat in time with hers. It plastered her hair to her face, running rivulets like tears down her cheeks. She revelled in the water's cold feel; it cooled her hot brow and it tasted of life.

When the rain stops, I'll tell him, Shera decided. She shivered, imagining the storm that would follow.

The last time she had been seriously ill, it was with Geostigma, and the holy water cured that. This rain, although welcome, had no such power. She listened again to her heart thumping and wondered how many beats were left.

The rain stopped.


	19. To love and to cherish

**(i)**

The heart monitor continued to beep. She was asleep, but he held her hand nonetheless. It was rough and calloused from long years of work – the lump on her finger from endless note scribbling, the tough skin from handling spanners and making tea, the worn fingernails from looking after a stubborn husband and two children.

Her face bore the signs of age too. He leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. In that flicker of a moment when his eyes closed, she felt as soft and young as she had all those years ago when they fell in love.

**(ii)**

He remembered odd things. Moments they'd shared. Moments he regretted. Like that time...

It was the end of the fucking world, and the crew of the Highwind knew it. That was why they came back: it was either hide away at home until death came for them, or fly out to meet it in the miniscule hope that Sephiroth could be stopped. Cid was proud of every fucking one of them.

They'd all said goodbye to their loved ones before returning, given them some hope to hold on to. Even then, guilt churned his stomach. He hadn't talked to Shera.

**(iii)**

She passed him the cup and he slurped it without thinking, only to splutter and spit it out. The temperature didn't bother him. He liked his tea to burn his throat. No, it was the taste. It was different, foreign… Not tea.

"The hell's this?"

Shera's mouth twitched. "Coffee."

She'd made him coffee. _She'd made him coffee._ Cid was so incoherent he couldn't even splutter again.

"It's nice, really. Try swallowing this time."

He glared at her, then glared at his cup, then glared at her. Shera waited until he took another sip.

"...S'not bad."

She smiled. "Told you so."

**(iv)**

"Talk to me," said Shera coaxingly. "Tell me how you feel."

"I'm all right, dammit!"

"Cid, you've been crying. I can tell."

"I don't cry," he muttered, but without conviction.

It took her several minutes to get it out of him. The children had been playing in the snow. The way his son had placed black stones for the snowman's eyes and mouth reminded him of how Shera had done the same thing in Icicle Town years ago. She remembered it well.

He shrugged it off, saying, "Getting sentimental," but she loved him all the more for moments like that.

**(v)**

No magic could bring you back from the dead. Nor wishful thinking either. Sometimes people told him that they would pray for her, and Cid wanted to spear them in the gut.

He'd made his choice a long time ago. He put his faith in the power of science. Human knowledge, not the arcane, would cure her. In the end, it didn't matter how much cure materia he had – materia was distilled from ancient memories, ancient knowledge. It lacked the power of modern medicine.

So if he was going to pray for anything, Cid decided, he would pray for science.


	20. Till death do us part

**(i)**

I always expected to die first. Reckless lifestyle, chain smoking – everyone expected me to choke before I hit fifty. But here I am, still clinging on to it. I'm tenacious like that. Not Shera. She couldn't hold on and I couldn't hold on to it for her.

What's there to do? Nothing. I could only hold our children's hands while they cried. I thought I was too old and tough to cry, that I was past that. But I did cry. I cried until I was empty inside. The grief leaves a hole. A fucking hole in my fucking heart.

**(ii)**

Cloud watches Cid, his face lined with age and grief, and his hand finds Tifa's and clutches on tight. He thinks that Cid treasured Shera in his own way just as much as he treasures Tifa. Cid's treasure has been taken away from him and Cloud hopes that he will never have to suffer this, that he will die first, to spare himself the pain. And then he shakes his head because he is being selfish – he shouldn't wish Tifa the pain he wants to avoid himself. He will protect her until she dies. He will be strong like Cid.

**(iii)**

Nanaki thinks that children look out of place at a funeral. Younger and older, they watch bleakly, their youthful faces clouded with grief. Black doesn't suit them. Nanaki is the only spark of living colour, but he bows his head respectfully.

Cid passes him, pauses, thanks him for coming in a hollow voice. Nanaki looks up.

"You'll see her again, you know," he says. "The bond of love transcends life and death. Your spirit will find hers in the Lifestream."

Normally, Cid would dismiss this stuff as cosmic nonsense. But today, he smiles and his thanks this time is genuine.

**(iv)**

"I'm cold," says Rose. Dad hugs her, envelops her in his warmth, but that doesn't help, because it isn't the wind making her shiver. The cold is inside her and her breath comes out in puffs of smoke.

Mom must be the coldest of all, she thinks, her heart clutching painfully. Cold, white, lifeless, encased underground. Condolences mean nothing, because her mother is dead.

She knows that Dad feels the same – he feels warm, but he's shaking, shaking and tears drip down his face. Love hurts so much; it pierces them through, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

**(v)**

I'm surrounded by life. The very spirit of the Planet is life. I take my memories with me to enrich the Lifestream. I lived – through love and joy, through pain and grief. There are so many stories for me to tell. I remember and I smile.

And you, Cid, share my story, like a shining thread intertwined with mine. All those moments we shared: gazing at the stars, riding an airship, making love. Together we weave a tapestry of memories. I cannot tell my story without you.

I'll wait for you, my love, like I always did. Take your time.**  
**


End file.
